At the second spot, there was, remarkably, a tiny island, 60 feet by 60 feet, a spit of land in the middle of the endless ocean. Like something out of James Bond, a helicopter landed on the sand and a table and two chairs were set out. A man had flown his girlfriend out there to propose. I don’t imagine he expected a boat full of 75 people to be watching, but we were.

Back on the boat, we turned toward Cairns, where our ship was docked. It began to rain hard. Tea and cake were served at 4 o’clock, of course, in the downpour. For two hours we plowed through rough water, getting back to the Odyssey, our home away from home, at 6 p.m. It was New Year’s Eve.

The next day we landed in Townsville, Australia, and went off to a koala sanctuary. You know how vicious those koalas can be. I had to screw my courage to the sticking place before hugging one.